Global Life Expectancy Rising But People Living Longer With More Illness, Study Shows

Aug 27, 2015

News outlets report on a study published in The Lancet showing global life expectancy is rising but people suffer more disability and illness.

Deutsche Welle: Study: Global life expectancy rises
“…Theo Vos, a professor at the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington who led the analysis, noted that great strides had been made in global health, particularly in the fight against infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria. ‘But now the challenge is to invest in finding more effective ways of preventing or treating the major causes of illness and disability,’ he said…” (8/27).

Reuters: Global life expectancy rises, but people live sicker for longer
“…The study’s main findings were that global life expectancy at birth for both sexes rose by 6.2 years — from 65.3 in 1990 to 71.5 in 2013. Healthy life expectancy at birth rose by 5.4 years — from 56.9 in 1990 to 62.3 in 2013…” (Kelland, 8/27).